Day: 029
Date: Saturday, 31 May 1986
Daily AT Miles: 0
Daily Other Miles: 0
Total AT Miles: 524.9
Total All Miles: 540.5
Weather: Warm, sunny.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Sausages & eggs, chocolate milk
Lunch: Ham & salad rolls, ice-cream.
Dinner: Hamburger steak, salad, ice-cream.
Aches: Both heels sore. Left heel swollen.
Animals Seen:
People Seen: Many.
Journal:
I got up at 8:30am and had breakfast at the restaurant. I passed the morning writing, watching TV and shopping. I again had a lunch of micro-waved salad rolls and enjoyed an afternoon of sports watching on TV – baseball, bike racing and the first World Cup soccer match. The latter reminded me that one cost of this trip will be missing the Cup matches (as well as the Commonwealth Games). At about 5:00pm, Stu, Greyhound (Tom) and Patti turned up, having seen my boots outside of my room. It was good to see and talk to them and we later had a pleasant dinner together in the restaurant. They all decided to spend the night on a nearby lawn where they had been given permission to camp. I spent the remainder of the evening watching a few crummy TV programmes and packing for a quick getaway tomorrow.
Appalachian Trail - Day 028
Day: 028
Date: Friday, 30 May 1986
Daily AT Miles: 10.8
Daily Other Miles: 0
Total AT Miles: 524.9
Total All Miles: 540.5
Weather: Some fog, partly cloudy, very warm.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink.
Lunch: Two ham & cheese rolls, ice-cream, chocolate milk.
Dinner: ??
Aches: Both heels and some toes.
Animals Seen: Cows, chipmunks.
People Seen: Four overnight hikers, many others.
Journal:
Got up at 6:30am to find my food bag intact and packed up again taking time to tend my ugly feet. Decided to hike to the motel near Atkins and stop there for tonight and maybe tomorrow night as well. I got going at about 8:15am on a pleasant warm day. The Trail was good – gentle grades, easy walking and lots of flowers in the forest. For the first hour my foot hurt quite a lot but, after my first rest, it improved quite a lot and I almost thought about leaving the motel stop out. However, because I would have to push it to get Troutville by next Saturday midday (to get mail) it seemed wiser to have the day off now. The Trail descended from Glade Mt and I had a break at the nice Glade Mt Shelter where a few weekend hikers were stopped for lunch. From there it was four miles down to the motel next to the freeway. The last couple of miles were down a pleasant country road past lots of pretty little houses. I checked into the motel at about 1pm and spent the afternoon eating, doing some washing, and some shopping at a nearby Texaco mini-mart, as well as watching TV. There was a restaurant attached to the motel where I had a good cheap meal. After dinner, I watched TV and wrote a letter to Barb before going to bed at about midnight.
Date: Friday, 30 May 1986
Daily AT Miles: 10.8
Daily Other Miles: 0
Total AT Miles: 524.9
Total All Miles: 540.5
Weather: Some fog, partly cloudy, very warm.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink.
Lunch: Two ham & cheese rolls, ice-cream, chocolate milk.
Dinner: ??
Aches: Both heels and some toes.
Animals Seen: Cows, chipmunks.
People Seen: Four overnight hikers, many others.
Journal:
Got up at 6:30am to find my food bag intact and packed up again taking time to tend my ugly feet. Decided to hike to the motel near Atkins and stop there for tonight and maybe tomorrow night as well. I got going at about 8:15am on a pleasant warm day. The Trail was good – gentle grades, easy walking and lots of flowers in the forest. For the first hour my foot hurt quite a lot but, after my first rest, it improved quite a lot and I almost thought about leaving the motel stop out. However, because I would have to push it to get Troutville by next Saturday midday (to get mail) it seemed wiser to have the day off now. The Trail descended from Glade Mt and I had a break at the nice Glade Mt Shelter where a few weekend hikers were stopped for lunch. From there it was four miles down to the motel next to the freeway. The last couple of miles were down a pleasant country road past lots of pretty little houses. I checked into the motel at about 1pm and spent the afternoon eating, doing some washing, and some shopping at a nearby Texaco mini-mart, as well as watching TV. There was a restaurant attached to the motel where I had a good cheap meal. After dinner, I watched TV and wrote a letter to Barb before going to bed at about midnight.
Appalachian Trail - Day 027
Day: 027
Date: Thursday, 29 May 1986
Daily AT Miles: 24.7
Daily Other Miles: 0.3 (to Trimpi Shelter)
Total AT Miles: 514.1
Total All Miles: 529.7
Weather: Partly cloudy, warm.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink.
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar.
Dinner: Biscuits and peanut butter, instant pudding, scroggin (gorp).
Aches: Both heels.
Animals Seen: Chipmunks, squirrels, cows.
People Seen: One AT Thru-Hiker
Journal:
MY WORST DAY! I got up at 6am but, because of the time taken to tend feet – particularly the left – didn’t get away until 8:20am. I could hardly bear to put on my left boot, but decided to give it a go. A mile was enough. The pain was too great so I put the old Brooks sneakers back on and the heavy water-logged boots in the pack, making it quite heavy. Even with the Brooks on, the foot hurt a lot and progress was slow. A pity because the scenery was pleasant to the eye and the grades gentle. There were lots of blooms including many rhododendrons. As I walked I occasionally listened to my radio and mulled over what to do about the shoe situation. I was afraid the boots had damaged my Achilles tendon internally, and bruised it at least, ao I didn’t think I could wear them again. The Brooks sneakers weren’t going to last much longer so I decided some replacement running shoes might be best. I decided to ring Mark and Fran, friends in Washington, to buy some shoes and mail them to Pearisburg. There was supposed to be a phone at the Mt Rogers National Recreation Area HQ as well as water, so I decided to make for there for the night. As the day passed I was feeling very drained and, I guess, stressed as to my foot’s prospects. The tiredness could have been related to a lack of sleep the night before, the extra weight in my pack (full water bottles and wet boots), the warmer weather, or awkward walking style. I stopped for a late lunch at Trimpi Shelter where I was bothered by mosquitoes. I pushed on after lunch and met a southbound AT Thru-Hiker (taking two years), Tom Burns, and stopped and talked to him for 20 minutes or so. Enjoyable, but making me even later. Progress remained slow and I finally reached the NRA HQ at 8pm. I rang Fran, who was obviously pleased to hear from me, and we talked for nearly 30 minutes. By the time I found the water tap, filled up and walked to a camp area about 300 yards back along the Trail. My feet were very sore and required treatment, yet I wasted the last 15 minutes of daylight unsuccessfully trying to get a rope over a tree bough to string my food up (to protect it from bears). In the end I gave up and washed, treated feet as best I could, and had a cold dinner in the dark by the light of my little penlight. Movement was very painful and I wondered what tomorrow held. Maybe I would just hike to the highway, 10 miles away, and put up in the motel there for the rest of the day. Despite the stuffing around and the belief I would never get to bed, I did so at 10:30pm and found it very comfortable. I put the food bag in the tent. At about 1am, I was awakened by the sound of some animal snorting and crashing around not too far away. Deciding that it could be a bear, I got up and moved the food bag about 10 yards away from my tent and then was so tired went back to sleep without waiting to see what happened.
Date: Thursday, 29 May 1986
Daily AT Miles: 24.7
Daily Other Miles: 0.3 (to Trimpi Shelter)
Total AT Miles: 514.1
Total All Miles: 529.7
Weather: Partly cloudy, warm.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink.
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar.
Dinner: Biscuits and peanut butter, instant pudding, scroggin (gorp).
Aches: Both heels.
Animals Seen: Chipmunks, squirrels, cows.
People Seen: One AT Thru-Hiker
Journal:
MY WORST DAY! I got up at 6am but, because of the time taken to tend feet – particularly the left – didn’t get away until 8:20am. I could hardly bear to put on my left boot, but decided to give it a go. A mile was enough. The pain was too great so I put the old Brooks sneakers back on and the heavy water-logged boots in the pack, making it quite heavy. Even with the Brooks on, the foot hurt a lot and progress was slow. A pity because the scenery was pleasant to the eye and the grades gentle. There were lots of blooms including many rhododendrons. As I walked I occasionally listened to my radio and mulled over what to do about the shoe situation. I was afraid the boots had damaged my Achilles tendon internally, and bruised it at least, ao I didn’t think I could wear them again. The Brooks sneakers weren’t going to last much longer so I decided some replacement running shoes might be best. I decided to ring Mark and Fran, friends in Washington, to buy some shoes and mail them to Pearisburg. There was supposed to be a phone at the Mt Rogers National Recreation Area HQ as well as water, so I decided to make for there for the night. As the day passed I was feeling very drained and, I guess, stressed as to my foot’s prospects. The tiredness could have been related to a lack of sleep the night before, the extra weight in my pack (full water bottles and wet boots), the warmer weather, or awkward walking style. I stopped for a late lunch at Trimpi Shelter where I was bothered by mosquitoes. I pushed on after lunch and met a southbound AT Thru-Hiker (taking two years), Tom Burns, and stopped and talked to him for 20 minutes or so. Enjoyable, but making me even later. Progress remained slow and I finally reached the NRA HQ at 8pm. I rang Fran, who was obviously pleased to hear from me, and we talked for nearly 30 minutes. By the time I found the water tap, filled up and walked to a camp area about 300 yards back along the Trail. My feet were very sore and required treatment, yet I wasted the last 15 minutes of daylight unsuccessfully trying to get a rope over a tree bough to string my food up (to protect it from bears). In the end I gave up and washed, treated feet as best I could, and had a cold dinner in the dark by the light of my little penlight. Movement was very painful and I wondered what tomorrow held. Maybe I would just hike to the highway, 10 miles away, and put up in the motel there for the rest of the day. Despite the stuffing around and the belief I would never get to bed, I did so at 10:30pm and found it very comfortable. I put the food bag in the tent. At about 1am, I was awakened by the sound of some animal snorting and crashing around not too far away. Deciding that it could be a bear, I got up and moved the food bag about 10 yards away from my tent and then was so tired went back to sleep without waiting to see what happened.
Appalachian Trail - Day 026
Day: 026
Date: Wednesday, 28 May 1986
Daily AT Miles: 20.7
Daily Other Miles: 0
Total AT Miles: 489.4
Total All Miles: 504.7
Weather: Some drizzle and fog in the morning, partly cloudy in the afternoon, mild.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink.
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar.
Dinner: Spaghetti sauce and macaroni, instant pudding, health bar.
Aches: Blistered feet including a very bad blister on my left Achilles.
Animals Seen: Horses.
People Seen: None.
Journal:
Got up at 6:15am after a reasonable night’s sleep but didn’t get away until about 8:15am because of time spent tending to my feet, particularly a nasty big blister on my left heel. I’m worried about how the boots will go. It will be difficult to keep up the miles if my feet are getting progressively worse. The first three miles involved a steady ascent to Buzzard Rocks and Whitetop Mt. The top of the mountain was clear of vegetation and alpine, but cloaked in heavy fog which ruled out views and made the Trail difficult to follow in parts. After descending through some wet and muddy forest, I reached Elk Meadow, a large open saddle which was also heavily fogged in. I was despairing of getting any views for the day when, about noon near Wilburn Ridge, the weather began to clear and I got some good views of alpine scenery with rocky bluffs, some pine-covered areas and, in the distance, inhabited valleys. There was even a bit of sun here and there. I stopped for lunch at a craggy bluff in Grayson Highlands State Park and read my Syntec (economics magazine produced by my former employer). My feet were sore, but I decided against dressing them again since I was going through Vaseline and moleskin too fast. After lunch the Trail left the alpine meadows and squelched through some forest occasionally coming out into the open. After a few easy climbs and descents, I arrived at Old Orchard Shelter at about 5:50pm. There was a bit of dry firewood there so I decided to light a fire and cook dinner. First I washed and tended my feet. The left heel looked particularly nasty and I was worried about how I would walk tomorrow. It was extremely difficult just moving around camp and I was trying to dry out the huge blister. Real problems. I was afraid it could get infected. After a nice dinner, I read Syntec’s Political Outlook with great interest since I had heard little of the recent Australian political scene. I went to bed about 9:15pm having seen no people for the day apart from a pick-up in the fog at Elk Meadow. My heel was throbbing badly and I wondered if I had damaged it internally as I lay in bed, but eventually went to sleep. The valve on my air mattress wasn’t even working at all now. I will get Mark and Fran to bring me out a new one when I get to Shenandoah National Park.
Date: Wednesday, 28 May 1986
Daily AT Miles: 20.7
Daily Other Miles: 0
Total AT Miles: 489.4
Total All Miles: 504.7
Weather: Some drizzle and fog in the morning, partly cloudy in the afternoon, mild.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink.
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar.
Dinner: Spaghetti sauce and macaroni, instant pudding, health bar.
Aches: Blistered feet including a very bad blister on my left Achilles.
Animals Seen: Horses.
People Seen: None.
Journal:
Got up at 6:15am after a reasonable night’s sleep but didn’t get away until about 8:15am because of time spent tending to my feet, particularly a nasty big blister on my left heel. I’m worried about how the boots will go. It will be difficult to keep up the miles if my feet are getting progressively worse. The first three miles involved a steady ascent to Buzzard Rocks and Whitetop Mt. The top of the mountain was clear of vegetation and alpine, but cloaked in heavy fog which ruled out views and made the Trail difficult to follow in parts. After descending through some wet and muddy forest, I reached Elk Meadow, a large open saddle which was also heavily fogged in. I was despairing of getting any views for the day when, about noon near Wilburn Ridge, the weather began to clear and I got some good views of alpine scenery with rocky bluffs, some pine-covered areas and, in the distance, inhabited valleys. There was even a bit of sun here and there. I stopped for lunch at a craggy bluff in Grayson Highlands State Park and read my Syntec (economics magazine produced by my former employer). My feet were sore, but I decided against dressing them again since I was going through Vaseline and moleskin too fast. After lunch the Trail left the alpine meadows and squelched through some forest occasionally coming out into the open. After a few easy climbs and descents, I arrived at Old Orchard Shelter at about 5:50pm. There was a bit of dry firewood there so I decided to light a fire and cook dinner. First I washed and tended my feet. The left heel looked particularly nasty and I was worried about how I would walk tomorrow. It was extremely difficult just moving around camp and I was trying to dry out the huge blister. Real problems. I was afraid it could get infected. After a nice dinner, I read Syntec’s Political Outlook with great interest since I had heard little of the recent Australian political scene. I went to bed about 9:15pm having seen no people for the day apart from a pick-up in the fog at Elk Meadow. My heel was throbbing badly and I wondered if I had damaged it internally as I lay in bed, but eventually went to sleep. The valve on my air mattress wasn’t even working at all now. I will get Mark and Fran to bring me out a new one when I get to Shenandoah National Park.
Appalachian Trail - Day 025
Day: 025
Date: Tuesday, 27 May 1986
Daily AT Miles: 18.7
Daily Other Miles: 1.0 (around Damascus)
Total AT Miles: 468.7
Total All Miles: 484.0
Weather: Light rain in the morning, mostly cloudy in the afternoon, rain again at night.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Ham and eggs, chocolate milk.
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar.
Dinner: Muesli, instant pudding, health drink.
Aches: Big blisters.
Animals Seen: Grouse.
People Seen: Several in town.
Journal:
Got up at 7am and had a shower before walking down to the Post Office to see what mail I had. My boots were there together with letters from Barb and Pam, and a card from AT hiker, Lisa. I put the boots on and walked up to the Douglass Inn where I had a cooked breakfast with Gene and Dave. I returned to the hostel, finished working out a mail schedule, packed my old boots and other things to send to Marj, and wrote a card to Lisa before returning to the Post Office. I cashed a travellers cheque at the bank on the way back, finished packing, bade farewell to the others and set off in the light rain which had persisted all morning. I was glad to be on the road again but sorry I hadn’t left earlier than 11am because the first shelter was 26 miles away with a few hills before it. I resolved to see how I would go. I shouldn’t be too ambitious because my new, heavy, boots will have an effect. The Trail climbed up into the mountains past many blossoms in the forest and, at times, followed or paralleled the route of the old Virginia Creeper rail line. I didn’t stop for lunch until 3:30pm and then spent some time tending to sore spots on my feet. At about 5:30pm, after more climbing, I decided that my feet were too sore and it would be too late to press on to the Shelter. Around 7pm I found a nice campsite near a spring in the forest and set up camp. It rained a little while I had dinner, but not too much. I went to bed at 9:30pm and, although it rained during the night, I did not get wet and slept well.
Date: Tuesday, 27 May 1986
Daily AT Miles: 18.7
Daily Other Miles: 1.0 (around Damascus)
Total AT Miles: 468.7
Total All Miles: 484.0
Weather: Light rain in the morning, mostly cloudy in the afternoon, rain again at night.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Ham and eggs, chocolate milk.
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, health bar.
Dinner: Muesli, instant pudding, health drink.
Aches: Big blisters.
Animals Seen: Grouse.
People Seen: Several in town.
Journal:
Got up at 7am and had a shower before walking down to the Post Office to see what mail I had. My boots were there together with letters from Barb and Pam, and a card from AT hiker, Lisa. I put the boots on and walked up to the Douglass Inn where I had a cooked breakfast with Gene and Dave. I returned to the hostel, finished working out a mail schedule, packed my old boots and other things to send to Marj, and wrote a card to Lisa before returning to the Post Office. I cashed a travellers cheque at the bank on the way back, finished packing, bade farewell to the others and set off in the light rain which had persisted all morning. I was glad to be on the road again but sorry I hadn’t left earlier than 11am because the first shelter was 26 miles away with a few hills before it. I resolved to see how I would go. I shouldn’t be too ambitious because my new, heavy, boots will have an effect. The Trail climbed up into the mountains past many blossoms in the forest and, at times, followed or paralleled the route of the old Virginia Creeper rail line. I didn’t stop for lunch until 3:30pm and then spent some time tending to sore spots on my feet. At about 5:30pm, after more climbing, I decided that my feet were too sore and it would be too late to press on to the Shelter. Around 7pm I found a nice campsite near a spring in the forest and set up camp. It rained a little while I had dinner, but not too much. I went to bed at 9:30pm and, although it rained during the night, I did not get wet and slept well.
Appalachian Trail - Day 024
Day: 024
Date: Monday, 26 May 1986
Daily AT Miles: 0
Daily Other Miles: 1.0 (around town).
Total AT Miles: 450.0
Total All Miles: 464.3
Weather: Overcast and mild.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Ham and eggs, chocolate milk.
Lunch: Ham and cheese rolls, fudge brownie.
Dinner: Chicken and chips, ice-cream.
Aches:
Animals Seen:
People Seen: Six AT Thru-Hikers, eight transcontinental cyclists, many others.
Journal:
I got up at 8:30am and went up to see if the grocery and laundry were open on Memorial Day. They were, so I did my grocery shopping and rang Barb on my way back to the hostel. After repacking my food I accompanied Mark and Stu up to the Douglass Inn where we had a good breakfast. We returned to the hostel and I finished packing food before going up to the Laundromat wearing only my Goretex rain trousers and polypro top. While the laundry was being done, I went next door to the grocery and bought a few items I had forgotten as well as some hot ham and cheese rolls for lunch. On return to the hostel, I spent the afternoon chatting to the other residents and writing letters and cards. During the afternoon, eight Bike-Centennial Transcontinental cyclists stopped at the hostel for the night. They were unimpressed with the rooms and erected their tents outside. “Greyhound”, the drunk-look-alike, returned after a day spent wandering around trying to find the AT north out of town. Another south-bound AT hiker returned to the hostel after having been bitten by the same dog that bothered me on the way into town yesterday. Mark’s parting entry in the register revealed that he had been on the run from the law for two years after his third drunk-driving offence. He was going back to face the music after talking to the Methodist pastor. A rum lot, these hikers – or so the cyclists told me when I joined them at the Douglass Inn during dinner. I spent a very pleasant three hours talking with them, especially to Gene, a rich Canadian from Vancouver, Dave, a college undergrad from Detroit, and Diane, a 31 year old nurse from Des Moines who had run a 3:03 marathon. I told her to get in touch with me if she wanted to come to Australia – she was interested. I returned to the hostel at 10:30pm and chatted further with the hikers before going to bed at 11:15pm. The cyclists returned about 11:45pm and made a lot of noise, keeping everyone awake.
Date: Monday, 26 May 1986
Daily AT Miles: 0
Daily Other Miles: 1.0 (around town).
Total AT Miles: 450.0
Total All Miles: 464.3
Weather: Overcast and mild.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Ham and eggs, chocolate milk.
Lunch: Ham and cheese rolls, fudge brownie.
Dinner: Chicken and chips, ice-cream.
Aches:
Animals Seen:
People Seen: Six AT Thru-Hikers, eight transcontinental cyclists, many others.
Journal:
I got up at 8:30am and went up to see if the grocery and laundry were open on Memorial Day. They were, so I did my grocery shopping and rang Barb on my way back to the hostel. After repacking my food I accompanied Mark and Stu up to the Douglass Inn where we had a good breakfast. We returned to the hostel and I finished packing food before going up to the Laundromat wearing only my Goretex rain trousers and polypro top. While the laundry was being done, I went next door to the grocery and bought a few items I had forgotten as well as some hot ham and cheese rolls for lunch. On return to the hostel, I spent the afternoon chatting to the other residents and writing letters and cards. During the afternoon, eight Bike-Centennial Transcontinental cyclists stopped at the hostel for the night. They were unimpressed with the rooms and erected their tents outside. “Greyhound”, the drunk-look-alike, returned after a day spent wandering around trying to find the AT north out of town. Another south-bound AT hiker returned to the hostel after having been bitten by the same dog that bothered me on the way into town yesterday. Mark’s parting entry in the register revealed that he had been on the run from the law for two years after his third drunk-driving offence. He was going back to face the music after talking to the Methodist pastor. A rum lot, these hikers – or so the cyclists told me when I joined them at the Douglass Inn during dinner. I spent a very pleasant three hours talking with them, especially to Gene, a rich Canadian from Vancouver, Dave, a college undergrad from Detroit, and Diane, a 31 year old nurse from Des Moines who had run a 3:03 marathon. I told her to get in touch with me if she wanted to come to Australia – she was interested. I returned to the hostel at 10:30pm and chatted further with the hikers before going to bed at 11:15pm. The cyclists returned about 11:45pm and made a lot of noise, keeping everyone awake.
Appalachian Trail - Day 023
Day: 023
Date: Sunday, 25 May 1986
Daily AT Miles: 25.8
Daily Other Miles: 1.0 (around Damascus)
Total AT Miles: 450.0
Total All Miles: 463.3
Weather: Cloudy, continual rain showers, mild.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink.
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, Mars Bar.
Dinner: Chicken slaw, cheeseburger, chips, ice-cream.
Aches: Occasional hip joint pain.
Animals Seen: Grouse.
People Seen: Five AT Thru-Hikers, eight overnight hikers, many others.
Journal:
Got up at 6am and left at 7:20am for the 26 mile walk into Damascus. It was gloomy and threatened rain. I told Mark I would see him there. The Trail was relatively level and I made good time along the ridge though the views weren’t up to much. It began raining mid-morning but I pushed on in good spirits and enjoyed listening to my Walkman. Because of the rain, I pushed on to Abingdon Gap Shelter for lunch and arrived at 1pm leaving me only 10 miles to go in the afternoon after 16 in the morning. After lunch I walked down into Damascus on mostly gentle grades in continuing showers and arrived in town at about 4:45pm. As I walked down the main street, I met Stuart, another AT Thru-Hiker who was about a day ahead of me and was now waiting for John to arrive so they could team up. He didn’t think there was a motel in town so I all but abandoned the idea and followed him to The Place, the Methodist-run hostel for AT hikers and trans-continental cyclists. I was a bit taken aback at how run-down it was and the fact that there was a smoking drunk in the kitchen (who later turned out to be relatively sober, a “professional” AT hiker aka “Greyhound”, who had slurred speech). Another resident was Tim aka “Marshmallow” who’d been there for two weeks while a stress fracture mended. The hostel was dirty, run-down, and the beds were moth-eaten pieces of foam runner on the floor. Not very wholesome but the guys there seemed friendly enough and honest. Mark, whom I’d met in Nolichucky, turned up by car having abandoned his Thru-Hike. So there were a few despondent people there. I resigned myself to the two nights and a day to be spent in The Place since tomorrow was Memorial Day and the Post Office would be closed. I walked round the town a bit, had a chicken dinner at a diner and later came back for a cheeseburger to fill me up. I wasn’t sure when I’d get breakfast tomorrow because the diner didn’t open until 10am. Back at The Place I chatted with the other residents and did some schedule planning before retiring about 10:40pm.
Date: Sunday, 25 May 1986
Daily AT Miles: 25.8
Daily Other Miles: 1.0 (around Damascus)
Total AT Miles: 450.0
Total All Miles: 463.3
Weather: Cloudy, continual rain showers, mild.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Muesli, health drink.
Lunch: Biscuits and peanut butter, Mars Bar.
Dinner: Chicken slaw, cheeseburger, chips, ice-cream.
Aches: Occasional hip joint pain.
Animals Seen: Grouse.
People Seen: Five AT Thru-Hikers, eight overnight hikers, many others.
Journal:
Got up at 6am and left at 7:20am for the 26 mile walk into Damascus. It was gloomy and threatened rain. I told Mark I would see him there. The Trail was relatively level and I made good time along the ridge though the views weren’t up to much. It began raining mid-morning but I pushed on in good spirits and enjoyed listening to my Walkman. Because of the rain, I pushed on to Abingdon Gap Shelter for lunch and arrived at 1pm leaving me only 10 miles to go in the afternoon after 16 in the morning. After lunch I walked down into Damascus on mostly gentle grades in continuing showers and arrived in town at about 4:45pm. As I walked down the main street, I met Stuart, another AT Thru-Hiker who was about a day ahead of me and was now waiting for John to arrive so they could team up. He didn’t think there was a motel in town so I all but abandoned the idea and followed him to The Place, the Methodist-run hostel for AT hikers and trans-continental cyclists. I was a bit taken aback at how run-down it was and the fact that there was a smoking drunk in the kitchen (who later turned out to be relatively sober, a “professional” AT hiker aka “Greyhound”, who had slurred speech). Another resident was Tim aka “Marshmallow” who’d been there for two weeks while a stress fracture mended. The hostel was dirty, run-down, and the beds were moth-eaten pieces of foam runner on the floor. Not very wholesome but the guys there seemed friendly enough and honest. Mark, whom I’d met in Nolichucky, turned up by car having abandoned his Thru-Hike. So there were a few despondent people there. I resigned myself to the two nights and a day to be spent in The Place since tomorrow was Memorial Day and the Post Office would be closed. I walked round the town a bit, had a chicken dinner at a diner and later came back for a cheeseburger to fill me up. I wasn’t sure when I’d get breakfast tomorrow because the diner didn’t open until 10am. Back at The Place I chatted with the other residents and did some schedule planning before retiring about 10:40pm.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)